Unto Ashes
by Cera Toynbee
Summary: Out of the Shadows sequel. The students of the X-mansion are finally at peace with the past. Waiting to strike, however, is an enemy who will prove to be the x-men's greatest challenge. An enemy that can take the x-men's deepest secrets and most powerful
1. Sparring and Plans

  
This takes place a year after Out of the Shadows. I suggest you read it before you read this, otherwise it may not make sense. Some things have changed, while others remain the same. Mortimer has toughened up over the last year and there are many new students and teachers. I just had to do a sequel to this story because I really like the story line and I'm really proud of it. Plus, I just had to explore how Mortimer was faring at the school. So, enjoy.  
  
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Unto Ashes  
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"Begin."  
  
Two young men stood opposite each other, bodies poised and ready, each waiting for the other to make the first move. One stood tall and confident, trenchcoat billowing around his lanky frame, cocky smile on his lips. The other crouched low to the floor, staff in hand, watching, waiting.   
  
Quicker than one could blink, the tall Cajun flicked his wrist and three sparking, once-ordinary playing cards whistled through the air towards his opponent. The crouching Britt deflected the charged cards with his staff, then used it to vault over the Cajun's head.  
  
The shorter man yanked the card-dealer's feet from beneath him with his long tongue, gave his staff a twirl, and grinned. The fallen Cajun pushed his long, red hair from his eyes and frowned slightly. Then the smile returned. He sprang to his feet and pulled an eight-inch metal bar from inside the voluminous coat. He gave it a twirl and the two ends slowly lengthened.  
  
Both men's smiles suddenly vanished as they focused all their thoughts on the battle ahead. The shorter man's second blow was blocked and immediately retaliated. The opponents slowly made their way around the room, spinning, flipping, neither one gaining a significant advantage.  
  
Off to the side, gazing through the glass window, a small crowd had formed. The young people watched the fight in rapt fascination, admiring the unique skill that each man brought to the battle.  
  
There was a loud crack as the staffs met in a cross. The red-headed man took advantage of the standstill and kicked his foe in the side. His blow hardly fazed his adversary, as the man tripped him and somersaulted away.  
  
The short man held his staff two-handed in front of him and the Cajun saw his chance. He threw an ace of spades towards his foe and watched with satisfaction as miniature missile hit the staff right between the Britt's gloved hands and split it in half. Discarding the remains of his staff, the young man crouched into a defensive posture and waited.  
  
The Cajun came towards him, staff whirling so fast it was a blur, and attacked. The British man caught the end of the staff in mid-air and ripped it from his opponent's unprepared hands. He spun and hit his foe with a powerful, roundhouse kick, knocking him to the ground.  
  
Mortimer Toynbee jumped onto his fallen adversary's chest and pinned his arms to his sides with his knees, much the same way Logan had held him down when he snuck up on him a year ago. He held the staff lightly across his defeated opponent's throat and allowed himself a small smile. "You surrender, LeBeau?"  
  
Remy LeBeau grinned at his friend. "Oui, mon ami. Remy knows when he's beat. Now," he said, starting to laugh, "get off!" Mortimer quickly climbed off his friend, tossed the staff away, and reached out a hand to pull him to his feet. Remy accepted the hand gratefully. Once he was standing he dusted himself off and turned to his friend.  
  
"Tre bien, homme. You're getting better." Mortimer nodded his thanks. Both jumped at the sudden sound of clapping. A dozen or so of Xavier's students were behind them, clapping. "Wha-?"  
  
Rogue spoke first, an awed look on her face. "John was walking by and he saw ya'll sparring. He came to get the rest of us. Ya'll are amazing." Beside her, John nodded vigorously. "I had no idea you guys could do that!" One of the guys in the back, Sean Cassidy, a hyperactive young man native to Ireland, spoke up. "Aye, where did ye learn to fight like that?" he asked.   
  
Mortimer and Remy looked at each other, then pointed behind the students.  
  
"Him."  
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Emma Frost stared out the window, arms folded across her chest, concentrating hard. Her lackeys stood behind her, awaiting their orders. "Mystique." She said, turning to the female shapeshifter. "I need you to recover the files Magneto had on the x-men. They may be of use to us. It is always wisest to know your enemy before you engage them."  
  
"The x-men will be a push over, Frost. They are no match for our team." Emma glared at her. "So says the former member of the defeated Brotherhood." Mystique looked at her in a way that would make the Devil shudder. The White Queen, however, merely gave her a icy smile. "Just do as I say."  
  
Mystique left the room, peeved, and Emma dismissed the rest of her followers. She turned to window and rested her forehead against the cool glass, imagining the sight of the x-men dead at her feet.  
  
'Soon, Charles. Very soon.'  
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Okay, I realize Banshee is NOT a teenager originally, but then neither are Rogue or Pyro. I'm also aware that Mystique is NOT a member of the Hellfire Club, but the Club members in the comics were boring, so I'm replacing them. Okay? Okay.  
  



	2. Sunfire, the Prank, and the Black Cat

  
  
Okay, here's Chapter 2. I changed the end of the last chapter, so you might want to check that part out real quick.  
  
Disclaimer. I own nothing and no one except Friday the cat and Sydney Thomas.  
  
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Unto Ashes  
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Shiro Yashida watched, amused, as the gathered students whirled to face him. "Wow!" Rogue gushed, eyes deep with respect for the man she faced. "You're the one who taught them that?" Yashida nodded and tried to hide a grin at the sight of the starstruck teens. 'Best put on the 'stern teacher' persona now. Can't let them just stand there all day.' Setting his features into a frown, he said, "Shouldn't you all be in class?"   
  
Rogue glanced down at her watch and let out a yelp. "Ohmygosh! We were supposed to be in class 10 minutes ago! Ms. Munroe's gonna kill us!" Yashida once again had to suppress a grin at the looks of horror that appeared on the students faces. A smile finally escaped him when the teenagers shot past him and out the door, mumbling things like "Oh, man, we are SO dead!" and "Thanks a lot, John!".  
  
Yashida turned to see his trainees snickering at the sudden departure of the students. Upon seeing his frown, both young men sobered up immediately. Yashida bowed to both of them and smiled slightly when they returned the gesture. He turned abruptly on his heel and left the room.  
  
Yashida made his way down the corridor to the Professor's office, a wistful look crossing his features as he remembered his past in Japan. He hadn't taught anyone since the day he was discovered as a mutant. It felt good to be passing on the arts to others again. He had missed it.   
  
'Thank you, boys.'  
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Remy ran a hand through his hair, still wet from his shower. With a smile, he remembered the looks on his fellow students' faces after they'd seen him fight. A swell of pride rose in him as he thought about how impressed they were. Especially Rogue...  
  
Rogue.   
  
A blood-chilling scream cut into Remy's thoughts. He chuckled softly to himself when he recognized the voice. It seemed as though Allison had finally noticed her hair. 'Three, two, one...'  
  
"REMY!"  
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Sydney Thomas stared intensely at her opponent.  
  
"You will not defeat me."  
  
Silence.  
  
"I've have faced greater foes then you and they have fallen dead at my feet."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Do not try to intimidate me! I will win! I will!"  
  
Friday the cat stared calmly back at her mistress, idly licking her raised paw, eyes never leaving the eerie yellow ones of her owner. She could see her mistress's eyelids twitch slightly. It wouldn't be long now.  
  
"Shadow! What are you doing?" Sydney let out a startled yelp at the White Queen's words, blinked, and whirled around to face her. When she realized what she had done she let out a moan of despair and buried her head in her hands. "I almost had her! You...you...aagghh!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You made me blink!" Sydney ground out though gritted teeth. The White Queen's expression was somewhere between amusement and disgust, "you mean to tell me you were having a 'staring contest' with your *cat*?"   
  
Sydney nodded.  
  
Emma Frost rolled her eyes heavenward. "We have some interesting new information on the x-men. Come with me." With that said, Frost spun on her heel and stalked off. Sydney crouched down next to Friday and hissed, "I want a re-match."  
  
Friday the cat simply stared at her mistress until she left, then went off to destroy something expensive.  
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So, what do you think? Questions? Comments? Suggestions? REVIEW!!!!  
  



	3. Hallucinations and Mind Control

Disclaimer: I own nothing, yadda, yadda, yadda...WAIT! I own Sydney. And Allison's hair, he he.  
  
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Unto Ashes  
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For the second time that day, Remy LeBeau found himself pinned to the floor. This time, however, this person on top of him was a very peeved, very furious, very pink-haired Allison Blair. Remy had to bite his lip to keep from snickering.   
  
Unfortunatly, Allison noticed and proceeded to strangle him. "I'm going to KILL YOU!" she shrieked. "Please, chere..." Remy managed to croak, " Please-" 'Save it! Tell me, is this permanent? Is it?" Remy closed his eyes and braced himself. "Yes..."  
  
At that moment, Scott burst in the room, halting for a moment at the site of Allison hair, then running over and pulling her off Remy. Remy quickly got up and backed away, gasping for air. "You are crazy, chere!"   
  
Allison wriggled her way out of Scott's grasp and glared murder at the panting Cajun. " You better watch your back, LeBeau. Do something like this again, I'll cut of your head and serve it on a silver platter!" Remy watched her as she stormed out of the room, then leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.  
  
'Note to self: Next time, pick a less violent victim.'  
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Allison sighed as she walked out of the mansion. She had decided to take a run through the woods, knowing if she stayed in the mansion much longer, Remy would meet an untimely end.  
  
As she started along the dirt path, Allison smiled. She loved to be outside. The birds sang a sweet tune in the trees and flowers bloomed all around. The sun shined brightly in the sky, lighting up the world around her.  
  
For awhile, she concentrated on her breathing and the path in front of her, counting out a steady rythym. 'One, two, one, two, one, two...' She slowed down to a walk for a moment to catch her breath. Allison looked around her and frowned slightly. It was nearly dark. 'Have been out that long?" she thought, stopping.  
  
It was weird. It seemed as if the entire demeanor of the forest around her had changed. There were no flowers to be seen or birds to be heard. The tree branches seemed to reach out for her, bending down and beckoning her.   
  
She bit her lip as a trickle of fear snaked through her. She had no idea where she was. The path was overgrown and plants and foliage seemed to create a cage around her. As she looked from side to side, she noticed a pair of glowing yellow eyes under the brush.   
  
Her heart leapt in her throat and she started to back away. Not looking where she was going, Allison tripped over a branch and fell to the ground with a grunt. Shaking her head to clear, she then looked straight ahead and froze. Directly in front of her was a very large, very angry-looking snake. Her mind screamed from her to scream, run, anything, but her body was immobile with fear. For what seemed like forever, she stared into the snake's cold eyes. Then she felt something crawl across her hand. Allison looked down and this time she did scream.  
  
A giant black spider the size of her fist was crawling up her arm. She wanted to shake it off, but didn't move for fear of angering the snake. She saw with horror that hundreds of spiders were coming out from under the foliage and as she watched, terrified, they began to crawl up on her. She screamed as she felt them crawling under her shirt and up her back. The snake, meanwhile, had wound it's scaly body around her ankle and was proceeding to slide under and up her pant's leg.   
  
Unable to take it any more, she passed out.  
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Sydney Thomas aka Shadow Walker stepped out from behind a tree and shuddered at the sound of songbirds chirping and sunlight streaming through the treetops. Her grimace slowly transformed wicked smile, seeing the teenage girl lying passed out on the forest floor. 'That was just too easy.'  
  
Sydney Thomas had possessed the power of fear. She was able to make her victims hallucinate the thing that they feared the most. Doing so to this young woman had been trivally easy. 'I mean, come on. Arachnophobia? Give me a challenge." She chuckled sofly and kneeled next to the girl. With doctorly precision, she admisnistered a heavy sedative to the teen and sat back to survey her work.  
  
'Just too easy'  
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Mortimer perched high atop the mansion's roof, watching the students play a game of basketball outside. He had no idea what had possessed him to come up here. It had been like a silent urging in the corner of his mind. Weird.  
  
He stood and walked to the edge of the roof, again not sure why. A barely recognizable voice in his mind whispered for him to jump. Mortimer took a step back, then two, face slightly pale. As he looked toward the egde the soft mental voice once again urged him to walk off the roof. He took another step back, shaking now. What was that?  
  
Suddenly, he stopped moving. Then he stepped forward. Terror suddenly engulfed him. He wasn't doing this. 'Somebody help! Help me!' he screamed mentally, begging to be heard. He tried uselessly to stop his body as he moved forward another step. Two more and he would fall. 'HELP!'  
  
*Mortimer?*   
  
Mortimer felt relief wash over him at the sound of Xavier's mental inquiry. "Professor! Please, you have to-' He was cut off by a sudden, blinding pain.  
  
Then his world plunged into black.  
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All right! Now we got some action! Please REVIEW!  
  
  



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